July 2009: Hana at Hearty Magazine

If you wait for someone to give you an opportunity, you'll be waiting your whole life. Particularly in this economy, nobody's offering a free handout. I'm all about the movers and shakers who take matters into their own hands. When I started this blog, I had no idea it would grow and develop so much. Hana of Hearty Magazine knows the feeling, too. As the magazine's creator, she spearheaded the project and watched it take off. Today, we talk to her about how Hearty works, what's up next, and who she loves in the street art world. She writes:

«I finally decided to start Hearty when I couldn’t get hired for the work I wanted to be doing because of the recession—or at least I’m blaming it on that. It began as a creative outlet for myself and my talented, passionate friends (and friends of friends). Hearty wouldn’t be where it is today without the team. Each one of them is unique in their own way and their dedication to the project is the direct result of Hearty’s awesome monthly issues and daily news. I think it’s the unique and strong personalities that make up the team of staff and bloggers that attract readers. The culture is so male dominated, so I think it’s important for women to have a space that represents them.»
«It would be so much easier if we were all in the same city! Hearty is pretty much unofficially sponsored by BlackBerry Messenger. Email obviously helps. Since we were friends first, phone calls often turn into more of a gossiping session than they do about work. We’re really all over the world so technology helps. Hearty has people in New York, L.A., Montreal and Vancouver. My programmer is all the way in Berlin! The time zones can be a pain in the ass, though.»
«There've been so many interesting interviews! Colin Munroe, Keys n Krates and Bijlues were all great because I made new friends from them. Emily Haines was truly inspiring. And I’ve known Dennis from Crooks and Castles for a while now, so it’s always great to chop it up with him. I loved having him as a part of Hearty’s first issue and that one was really fun because it went down in LA so I got to see the new shop and hang out with him in his town.»
«Depending on when this interview comes out, our next issue features the top four women in streetwear culture. We’ve used a theme and there will be special illustrations. Pretty dope!»

«I heart street art. I like that people are individually able to change the landscape and look of places. I think someone like Banksy is awesome. The wit and social messages in his work are amazing. Also, Claw Money who will be featured in our upcoming issue (oops, did I just give away more info!). She was creating street art when there weren’t many women in the game. New York is obviously awesome for street art because it’s everywhere and is so diverse. But a couple summers ago I was in Portugal and surprisingly saw a lot of really cool street art. I think it’s rad to see how street art covers the globe.»

«Thanks Meg! At hearty we love ladies who are doing their thing.»

Thank you, Hana! For more things to heart, check out Hearty's online hub.